Containers such as tool boxes and storage cabinets are commonly used at construction sites and similar locations for the storage of tools and materials. Typical designs comprise a front wall, a back wall, a bottom wall and opposed end walls which are interconnected to form a hollow interior. The container interior is closed by a top wall or lid pivotal between open and closed positions on a hinge mounted to the back wall, usually with the assistance of gas springs.
Due to the value of tools and materials that may be held in storage containers, one or more locking mechanisms are generally employed to prevent theft. In horizontally oriented containers, it is typical to position a padlock at one or both of the corners of the lid to prevent it from being opened except when the padlock(s) are unlocked. Preferably, structure is provided to shield the padlock(s) from exposure to tampering, such as attempts to cut the shackle or pry open the body of the padlock.
One design of a locking mechanism for storage containers of the type described above is found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,772,613 and 8,096,152. Although somewhat different, the locking mechanism disclosed in each of these patents operates by causing a padlock to either block or permit lateral motion of a latch rod located in the interior of the container body relative to flanges mounted to the lid of the container. When lateral movement of the latch rod is blocked by alignment of the body of the padlock with one end of such rod, the latch rod engages the flanges carried by the lid thus preventing the lid from opening. After unlocking the padlock, the latch rod is free to move in a lateral direction without contacting the padlock body such that it disengages the lid flanges allowing the lid to be opened. Locking mechanisms of this type are relatively complex and depend on accurate alignment between a number of elements mounted to the lid and to the body of the container. Over the course of time and as a result of the often demanding conditions at job sites, the lids and bodies of storage containers may become misaligned making operation of latch rod difficult and/or preventing an end of the latch rod to engage the padlock body in order to lock the container.